Calender machine



c. P. PUTNAM ET AL 2,058,352

' CALENDER MACHINE Oct. 20, 1936.

Filed Sept. 2, 1932 17 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 20, 1936. c.'P. PUTNAM ET AL29585352 CALENDER MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 193 2 1'7 Sheet s-Sheet 5 IIIII J g MJ %@AM @4 Oct. 20, 1936. c. P. PUTNAM HAL 2,058,352

CALENDER MACHINE Filed Sep. 2, 1932 1'? Sheets-Shet 6 L 236' 39 I 1341.r

iii 1 3 i if? 1- I 19.3

I JW 0 n a 19 V days.

Oct. 20, 1936. c. P. PUTNAM ET AL CALENDER MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 193217 Sheets-She et 7 a m s;

c. P. PUTNAM ET AL CALENDER MACHINE Oct.-20, 1936.

17 Sheets- Sheet 8 Filed Sept. 2, 1932 dag Oct. 20, 1936. c. P. PUTNAMET AL 5 CALENDER MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 1952 17 Sheets-Sheet 9 OFF ON 6WI 294 Z62 268 Pnrssuns on I 0N PRES: l/BE 0FF naLLs A!!!" OFF Oct. 20,1936. v c. F PUTNAM'ET AL .CALENDER MACHINE 17 Sheets-Shet 10 FiledSept. 2,, 1932 Oct. 20, 1936. c. P. 'PUTNAM ET AL 2,053,352

ICALENDER MACHINE I Ma Oct. "20, 1936. c. P. PUTNAM AL CALENDER MACHINEFiled Sept. 2, 1952 l7 Sheets-Sheet 12 g brat W QW WM M hwa Oct. 20;1936. Pj PUTNAM Er AL CALENDER MACHINE 17 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed Sept. 2,.1932

Oct. 20, 1936.

c. P. PUTNAMET AL' 2,058,352-

CALENDER MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 1932 17 Sheets-Sheet 14 v new Oct. 20,1936.

C. P. PUTNAM ET AL CALENDER MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 1952 l7 Sheets-Sheetl5 0a. 20, 1936.- P TNA M ET AL 2,058,352

CALENDER MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 1932 17 Sheets-Sheet 16 -Ot. 20,' 1936.c. PUTNAM ETAL' 2,058,352

CALENDER MACHINE Filed Sept. 2, 1932 1'7 Sheets-Sheet 17 UP oomv mm 254v Wis.

Rana nmkr mma Oct. 20, 1936 PATENT I OFFICE 2,058,352 CALENDER MACHINECharles P. Putnam, Lockhaven, Pa., and Earl E. Berry and LloydHornbostel, Beloit, Wis., as-

signors to Beloit Iron Works, Beloit, corporation of Wisconsin Wis.,' a

Application September 2, 1932, Serial No. 631,519%

. 86 Claims.

This invention relates to paper making machinery and has specialreference to supercalen ders of improved construction.

The operation of supercalenders in the past .has been beset by manydifflculties which were largelydue to the construction of the machine.One of these difficulties was uneven calendaring of I the sheet acrossits width. This difllculty was largely the result of the position ofadjacent rolls to maintain the rolls of the stack in exact' alignment toprevent'excessive pressure at any one point on the sheet. If the rollsarev slightly out of alignment they develop areas of uneven pressure, atwhich points a larger amount of the power input into the stack isconverted to heat, thereby expanding the rolls in this area,particularly the metal rolls. As a result, the expansion of the rolls isuneven, thus further increasing the localization of the calenderingaction, since the expanded areas of the roll tend to lift the otherportions of the roll out of contact with the adjacent roll so that thecalendering action in these areas is decreased. Frequently, when a newcalender was first put into operation, the rolls would maintain theiralignment, but after a short period of service the wear in the bearingsand bearing sup-v sheet received little orno calendering action.-

40 Furthermore, becauseof-thisuneven action of the rolls on the sheetthe sheet had a tendency to break in the calender which resulted in adecrease of output, a large loss of paper due to breakageof the sheet,and considerable damage to the rolls 45 themselves, the broken ends ofthe sheet producing surface irregularities on the paper or fibre rollswhich required them to be frequently'reground or resurfaced. Anothereflfect of the above mentioned roll conditions was a'high. power 59input into the machine, that is, the machine required a considerablylarger amount of power for in the stack. In these machines it isnecessary removed from their supports. In these machines the rolls weresupported upon vertically slidavble bearings between vertical framemembers. Therefore, in the removal of at least a part of the rolls theframe had to be taken apart and the rolls 5 removed by hand, requiringdays of time for its accomplishment.

- A further disadvantage of the supercalenders of the prior art has intheir limited speed. The average or usual speed for these machines islow, 10

the average probably being in the order of about 400 R. P.. M. However,for more efllcient production it is necessary that the speed of thesemachines be materially increased, which is impossible with the machinesof the prior art. The ,15

- calenders of the past, because of poor roll align- 'ment referred to,were limited in speed by the heating efiect of ,the rolls.

It has been necessary or desirable in supercalenders to increase thepressure on the sheet 20 as it passes through the rolls Ibeyond thatdeveloped by the weight of the rolls alone. For this purpose, the usualpractice has been to employ levers upon which weights are supported, thelevers acting against the top roll bearings of 5 the stack. It has alsobeen suggested to employ hydraulic devices for exerting a pressureagainst the upper roll of the stack. However, it has been impossible todetermine the actual amount of pressure applied, that is, no practicalmeans have been devised whereby the operator may know what pressure heis applying to the sheet, no!

, has there been any practical way of applying different pressures tothe opposite ends of the rolls. Furthermore, theweight and lever meth-{0d of applying the pressure has required that the operator take hisattention from the. operation of the machine to manually apply theweights to the levers, the operation requiring considerable labor andalso time on the part of the operator,

and even .then it was impossible to accurately apply the pressure due tofriction in the lever systems. Furthermore, if for any reason, such as abreak in the sheet, it was necessary for the pressure to be removed fromthe rolls, it took considerable time to do this.

No adequate means have been provided for operating or lifting the rollsto keep them out of contact when the machine is not in operation. It isnecessary that these rolls be kept apart .when not in operation,particularly when fiber" rolls are employed, since the weight of therolls one upon another is suflicient to cause a flattening ordeformation of the surface thereof. The methods heretofore in use foraccomplishing this flattening of the paper or fibre rolls, and damagesthe rolls in cases of breaks in the sheet.

In the operation of machines of this character some pieces of paperfrequently stick to the roll and are carried around through opposednips, thus causing damage to the surface of adjacent fibre or paperrolls by producing surface irregularities. However, sometimes thismaterial is transferred to a second and third roll, thus damagingfurther rolls by producing such irregularities, This effect is alsofrequently produced by a break in the sheet with pressure still on therolls. At the points where these surface depressions of opposed rollscome into contact the paper will, of course, be acted upon to a lesserextent than at other points along the roll, thus leaving a spotor streakin the sheet. The machines of the prior art offered no way of avoidingthe production of these streaks or spots other than grinding down orotherwise treating the surface of the roll to remove the surfaceirregularities,

which is usually an expensive and laborious operation.

Damage to the rolls is frequently caused by breaks in the sheetoccurring between the unwinding mechanism and the calender stack, whenthis occurs the tension on the sheet is at once relieved and the sheetfolds over as it enters the rolls, the operator being unable to stop themachine immediately in order to prevent this.

The principal object of our invention is, therefore, to generallyimprove the construction and operation of super-calenders, particularlyin respect to the difiiculties and short comings above mentioned.

Furthermore, we have aimed as an object to provide improved means forsupporting the rolls whereby to eliminate at least a part of the unevencalendering of the sheet ac oss its width, caused by localized heatingresulting in uneven expansion of the rolls.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for bringing thesurface irregularities of adjacent rolls out of coincidence, therebyreducing the tendency 'of such irregularities to produce streaks ormarks in the sheet.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for supporting andmaintaining the rolls in alignment, whereby to reduce the'amount ofbreakage of the sheet, reduce friction and heat, and reduce the powerinput.

Another object of the invention is to provide super-calender mechanismcapable of operating at higher speeds.

Another object is to provide novel means for controlling the applicationof pressure to the rolls,

whereby the enormous pressures required in these nism; toprovideimproved means for separating the rolls and for bringing theminto contact; to provide means for preventing the rolls from being leftwith the pressure on when the machine stops and to provide means forindicating the amount of pressure being applied to each end of the rollswhereby to rapidly and accurately control these functions to permit highcalender speeds.

We have also aimed to provide a calender machine having improvedtensioning means whereby tension is maintained on the sheet after abreak occurs between the stack and the unwind mechanism whereby to givethe operator suflicient time to remove the pressure from the rollsbefore they become damaged.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled inthe art from the following description and the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a front view of a supercalender embodying ourinvention, shown in combinationwith a rewinding and unwinding mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a front view of a supercalender embodying one formof ourinvention;

Fig.3 is a vertical section through the supercalender, shown partly inelevation; v

Fig. 4 is a section through the pivotal mounting I of the roll swingarms;

Fig. 5 is a section showing the connection between the roll bearinghousings and the roll swing arms;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through one of the roll swing arms;

Fig. '7 is a section substantially on the line l---! of F18. 2;

Fig. 8 is an open side view of the pressure applying mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a. top view of mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line ill-l0 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a view taken on the line I l'l I of Fig.

the pressure applying Fig. 12 is a. vertical section through the outerend of the pressure applying arms;

' Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the open face side of a supercalenderembodying our invention,

- showing the manner in which the rolls are removed;

Fig. 14 is a section on the line ll-M of Fig. 10; Fig. 15 is a sectionon the line l5l5 of Fig. 10 Fig. 16 is a wiring diagram of theembodiment shown in Figures 1-15, inclusive;

Fig. 17 is a front view of a second embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 18 is a section on the line l8--i8 of Fig. 17;

Fig. 19 is a face view of the pressure controlling rotary switch;

Fig. 20 is a side view of the pressure controlling rotary switch;

Fig. 21 is a wiring diagram of the embodiment shown in Figs. 17-20,inclusive;

Fig. 22 is a side perspective of a third embodiment of the invention; r

Fig. 23 is an open face view of the third embodi ment of the inventionshowing the pressure applying mechanism;

' Fig. 24 is a section on the line 24-24 of Fig. 26; Fig. 25 is asection on the line 25.25 of Fig. 23; Fig. 26 is an end view of theupper roll and pressure applying mechanism of the third embodi- -ment,showing one unit in section;

Fig. 27 is a section substantially. on the line 21-21 of Fig. 26;

Fig. 28 is a front view of the sheet feeding and aoedsea -Fie. 311s awiring diagram of the third embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings briefly described above; we.

have shown three embodiments of our invention.

These embodiments illustrate different species of our invention, theprinciples of which are explained more fully below. It should beexpressly understood, however, that in applying the principles of ourinvention; it is not limited to the particular species herein disclosedbut is applicable in its several phases in other forms andmodifications. Our invention marks a distinct and important advance inthis art as wehave shown by its actual commercial application. We

have deemed it advisable, therefore, in view of the advance made in tmsart and of the many new and beneficial results, to disclose a number ofmodifications of the invention and have accordingly presented herewithclaims broadly covering the novel principles of our invention as well asclaims to a number of species thereof. V

In the machines herein disclosed, the .operator feeds the sheet into thecalender and then takes a position in front of the unwind or rewindmechanism convenient for inspection of the sheet as it is unwound andrewound'in order to deter-- mine the proper treatment of the sheet. Acontrol board is located directly adjacent to this position so that atan instants notice the operator may selectively perform any of theoperations for which the calender machine is adapted.

. If, for example, a breakoccurs in the sheet between the unwindmechanism and the stack, the operator can instantly remove thepressure'from those rolls and stop the rotation of the rolls,.ifdesired, and because of the facility of control he can therebyprevent-damage to the fibre or paper rolls of the machine. From'thissame position he can control the amount of pressure applied to eitherend of the roll in accordance with the condition of the sheet as itcomes onto the rewind drum. Likewise, he is in a, position to constantlyobserve the unwind rolls so that he may'watch the splices in the sheetas they are indicated by the flags and come to the surface of the rolland,

, as the splice moves to the first nip of the calender he can so controlthe machine that the sheet will be calendered practically upto thesplice before the pressure is relieved from the rolls to permit thesplice to pass between them and again he may applythepressureimmediately after the splice emerges from the rolls so that aminimum amount of the sheet is wasted. Also, from the same position hecan continue the rotation of the rolls until the uncalendered portion ofthe sheet caused by the removal of the pressure therefrom while thesplice passed through'the rolls appears on the rewind roll and can thenconveniently stop the machine in the desiredposition so that thisuncalendered paper can be torn out of the roll and the sheet can .berespliced.

From the same point by merely depressing a button he may cause theidentical amount of pressure to return to the rolls after aninterruption such as just described, without readjusting themechanism'in any way, the depression of the a button merely initiatingthe application of pressure, the mechanism automatically stopping.

when the required amount of pressure is applied; Thus, in each operationof the machine the operator is required only to. initiate the operation,the operation being automatically carried forth from that point andautomatically'discontinued when it has progressed to the desired extent.

Furthermore, all of the operations are carried.

.and serve to further stiffen the structure. side members 33 extendoutward on the open out accurately; rapidly and positively as a resultterlally higher-speeds than heretofore because 0 the improved controlover the machine.

In the embodiments herein disclosed, our invention contemplates, brieflystated, the provision of a frame on which a vertical stack'of rolls issupported in a particularly advantageous man ofwhich the machine may beoperated at maner with their axes in parallel alignment. The

rolls are supported on the frame through arms which are pivoted to theframe, the rolls having bearing support in the outer or free ends of thearms so that the rolls and arms may be rotated about the pivotal supportof the latter as a center. In the embodiments shown in' the presentapplication, the rolls are driven from the lower roll, though this is byno means essential to-the invention and the claims are not to beconstrued as so limited. Means are provided for, applying pressure tothe upper roll. In the embodiments shown in the drawings, this meansincludes arms pivotally supported on the frame adapted to bear againstthe upper roll bearings, and resilient means for applying pressure tothe outer end or other part of the arms. This mechanism is soconstructed that equal amounts of pressure may be simultaneously appliedto opposite ends of the upper roll or so that the pressure at theopposite ends may be independently regulate d. Means are also providedfor indicating to the operator the amount of pressure applied to eachend of the upper roll. There are also means for controlling theapplication ofpressure to the roll,

the removal of pressure from the rollfiand the. lifting of the rolls outof contact with each other,

these devices being operable from 'a remote point preferably in view ofthe machine, and beingso arranged that the various operations may becarried out with a minimum of manual eflorton the part of the operatorso that his attention is not materially detracted from the operation ofthe machine and so that the operations may be performed or instituted atthe precise time de sired and controlled to a high degree of accuracy.

Frame and roll construction Referring first to Figures 1 -16,inclusive,.

- blocks such as II and '42, to form'top beams of the frame structure.The two top beams are connected at the closed side of the machine by across-tie 63, which thus connects the main columns and serves as astiffening plate. A second pair of vertical columns 44 connect the sidemem--.

bers 33 of the base with each of the top beams The face side of themachine to support bearing housings 45 which receive the trunnions of alower roll 46. The bearing housings 45 are fixedly- -70 secured tothebase and are so arranged that the lower roll may be driven from a motor41 or other prime mover. A plurality of roll swing arms 48 and 49 arepivotaily supported along the open face edge of the main columns 34 and35 in vertical, spaced relationship for the purpose of sup-

